Fraser Island: Destination Marketing Strengths and Weaknesses Report

This report analyzes Fraser Island's destination marketing, focusing on its attractiveness to tourism markets. The report begins with an executive summary and introduction highlighting Fraser Island's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It then delves into the island's strengths, including significant economic benefits from tourism, educational opportunities, environmental protection efforts, aesthetic and spiritual values, and recreational activities. Conversely, the report identifies weaknesses such as vulnerability to tourism in specific areas, issues with means of access impacting ecological balance, and surface disturbances. Recommendations include restricting footfall, implementing surveillance, promoting battery-driven cars, and managing fishing and coral driving. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of safeguarding Fraser Island's interests and ecological balance. The report references several academic sources to support its analysis.

Running head: DESTINATION MARKETING
DESTINATION MARKETING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The main focus of this report is to select a destination and analyses the strengths and
weaknesses of its present conditions in terms of the attractiveness to tourism markets.
Suggestions will be demonstrated to improve or strengthen the image of the destination. The
destination selected here is Fraser Island, which is located along the southeastern coast of
Queensland, Australia.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Strengths.....................................................................................................................................3
Economic Benefits.................................................................................................................3
Education................................................................................................................................3
Understanding the Environment............................................................................................4
Aesthetic or Spiritual Value...................................................................................................4
Recreation..............................................................................................................................4
Weaknesses................................................................................................................................4
Target Destinations................................................................................................................4
Means of Access....................................................................................................................5
Surface Disturbance...............................................................................................................5
Recommendations......................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
The main of this report is to select a destination and analyses the strengths and
weaknesses of its present conditions in terms of the attractiveness to tourism markets.
Suggestions will be demonstrated to improve or strengthen the image of the destination. The
destination selected here is Fraser Island, which is located along the southeastern coast of
Queensland, Australia. It is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. The island can
be considered as the larges sand island in the world, spreading over an area of 1,840 square
kilometers, apart from being the largest island in the state of Queensland and on the East
coast of Australia, and sixth largest island in the region of Australia (Wardell-Johnson et al
2015).
Strengths
Economic Benefits
The estimated value of Fraser Island stands at more than $250,000,000 to the
economy of Queensland. The eucalypts woodland, rainforests, mangrove forests, sand dunes,
wallum and peat swamps and costal heaths attracts a number of tourists from around the
world, who spend a lot of amount to travel across the island and on food and accommodation,
which helps to benefit the economy of the Queensland State and also the economic condition
of Australia as a whole. The advertisement costs also come up from the money spend by the
tourists (Ross 2014).
Education
A number of intangible benefits are occurred in the island, which are used as a part of
education, which is used by many researchers and educationists. Students who visit in this

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island will be benefitted by learning a lot of things related to nature which cannot be learned
from the textbooks and classroom lectures.
Understanding the Environment
A number of public campaigns are held to protect the astonishing natural values of
Fraser Island, which is hugely depended on the number of tourists visiting the island. Sand
mining and logging has been stopped due to tourism, which helped the island to protect its
natural beauties and environmental values. The tourism in the island has a lot of contribution
in understanding the environment of Australia.
Aesthetic or Spiritual Value
Fraser Island has proved to be an inspiration to many visual artists, along with other
literary persons. Photographers, film-makers, poets and other artists has visited this place
which has increased the value by showcasing its beauty to the outer world, and helped to
attract more number of visitors to the island. The culture of Australian can be known through
this and a lot of things can be learned regarding the life and society of the people of Australia
who believe in this place (Povilanskas et al 2016).
Recreation
Many recreational activities can be done here, like recreational driving, bush-walking
and fishing are some of these activities, which forms to be one of the biggest strength of this
island, to attract more people and sustain the tourism development in this world heritage site
(Brieva, Ribbe and Lemckert 2015).

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Weaknesses
Target Destinations
One of the major weaknesses of this place is its vulnerability to tourism. There are
certain areas in this island which has been identified and marketed to attract more number of
tourists. Over usage of these places loses the value and harms the environmental or ecological
balance of these places. Sustainability will be hampered if no serious steps cannot be
measured.
Means of Access
Innovation in the form of technology is shedding its negative effect here. The means
of transport of tourists from one part of the island to the other and also to and from the island
is hampering the ecological value as well as balance of the place, which may become extinct
after a certain amount of time. The method of visitation is creating adverse effects to the
beauty of the place (Carter et al 2015).
Surface Disturbance
The impact of surface disturbance in Fraser Island is much more than any other
natural areas. Hence, any kind of disturbances will effect more in this area compared to other
places. The substrate surface is getting disturbed by more number of footfalls, which will
result in hampering the ecological balance in coral reefs and semi-arid areas (Burns 2015).
Recommendations
Necessary steps or actions need to be taken by the local as well as national
government of Australia in order to safeguard the Fraser Island.
 Number of footfalls should be restricted within a certain number
 Natural balance should be safeguarded by installation of CCTVs

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 Battery driven cars need to be used all over the island
 Fishing and coral driving need to be restricted within a certain number
Conclusion
From the above report, it can be concluded that Fraser Island truly deserves to be a
world heritage site and it is the duty of the people to safeguard the interests and values of this
place, to maintain the ecological balance throughout the region.

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References
Brieva, D., Ribbe, J. and Lemckert, C., 2015. Is the East Australian Current causing a marine
ecological hot-spot and an important fisheries near Fraser Island, Australia?. Estuarine,
Coastal and Shelf Science, 153, pp.121-134.
Burns, G.L., 2015. Animals as tourism objects: Ethically refocusing relationships between
tourists and wildlife. Animals and tourism: Understanding diverse relationships, 67, p.44.
Carter, R.W., Tindale, N., Brooks, P. and Sullivan, D., 2015. Impact of camping on ground
and beach flow water quality on the eastern beach of K'gari-Fraser Island: a preliminary
study. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 22(2), pp.216-232.
Povilanskas, R., Armaitienė, A., Dyack, B. and Jurkus, E., 2016. Islands of prescription and
islands of negotiation. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 5(3), pp.260-274.
Ross, A., 2014. Managing values other than outstanding universal value-a case study from
K'gari (Fraser Island World Heritage Area), Queensland, Australia. Historic
Environment, 26(2), p.80.
Wardell-Johnson, G., Schoeman, D., Schlacher, T., Wardell-Johnson, A., Weston, M.A.,
Shimizu, Y. and Conroy, G., 2015. Re-framing values for a World Heritage future: what type
of icon will K'gari-Fraser Island become?. Australasian Journal of Environmental
Management, 22(2), pp.124-148.

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